← Koala Moon: Kids Bedtime Stories & Sleep Stories for Kids Podcast
Koala Moon: Kids Bedtime Stories & Sleep Stories for Kids Podcast
Fenella Meets Belle The Magical Sleep Unicorn 🦄 💫 Dreamy Bedtime Story for Kids
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Hello and welcome back to Koala Moon, a podcast of original bedtime stories and sleep meditations for kids designed to make bedtime a dream. I'm giving the warmest of warm welcomes for the Coco Club tonight for brothers living near San Francisco in California. Yep, that's you, Dylan and Daniel. Also, we're saying hi to Louise, who turned 8 recently in Nashville, Tennessee. Happy birthday to you. And also Addie and Tilly Bedel from Kelowna in Canada. All of you have said very nicely that you listen every single night and you've subscribed for the year. So we are eternally grateful for your support and we just hope that you have all of the stories at your fingertips that you want to listen to without any ads. So thank you, thank you, thank you. And yeah, with your support, we will continue to write and produce more and more of what you love. Now then, guys, do you remember me telling you about a cool new series starting over on Koala Shine? Well, it begins in February and you are going to want to pay attention now because something dark is afoot in Sleepy Forest. No, not because it's nighttime. I mean dark as in weird green trees are turning red and then they're disappearing altogether. Candy, which has always been sweet, suddenly tastes sour. And the kindliest forest creatures are becoming mean spirited. Our lovely pups Hector and Sunny pop over to see Coco and they discover that his little sister Kira, who has been acting quite out of character for a number of days, has gone missing. It's all very odd. Make sure you go over to Koala Shine, you hit follow on the podcast and then you can find out more about this dark underbelly of the Koala Kingdom with the first episode. Hector and Sunny in the Topsy Turvy. Before we begin, a quick message for the grown ups if you'd like to support our podcast. Enjoy ad free listening, unlock four bonus stories per month and much, much more. You can. You can join Koko Club. Subscribe in just two taps via the link in the show notes, but now here's a quick word from our sponsors. But back to tonight though, where things are just as we like them in sleepy forest over here. Calm, relaxing and just a little bit magical. We're going to witness the very first meeting of two of our favourite unicorns. That's Belle and Fenella. Fenella, who is our tiny unicorn friend, is having trouble falling asleep tonight and she doesn't know what to do. Luckily, Belle is on hand with her sleep magic and a mindful journey over the rainbow to help Fenella finally get the restful sleep she deserves. So let's go there now you curl up in your warm bed, close your eyes and just take some nice calming breaths. As I begin Fenella meets Belle the Magical Sleep Unicorn By Elisha Ainslie. In the Koala Kingdom, the home of Sleepy Forest, there are hundreds of amazing mystical creatures living side by side in harmony. There are talking animals, friendly dragons, clever witches and wizards, fairies and elves and so many others. Amongst them are the unicorns. The stunning, regal unicorns are horse like creatures with one key unique characteristic. Their magical glittering horns that poke out of their forehead. The unicorn community in Sleepy Forest is particularly tight knit. Everyone knows everyone. So when Fenella the tiny unicorn started to have a bit of a problem, her parents knew exactly who to turn to for help. Recently, Fenella's curious brain had been whirring non stop. It seemed that the little unicorn couldn't switch it off with everything she was learning at school or that she was discovering in her spare time and with the excitement of all her hopes and dreams. Fenella's mind was constantly brimming with thoughts. So many thoughts that she was struggling to fall asleep at night. She would lie in her bed for hours before she eventually became too exhausted to keep her eyes open anymore. After a week of restless nights, Fenella's parents decided that that it was time to get some help. Fortunately, Fenella's father knew just who to contact. Belle, the magical Sleep Unicorn lived far away outside of Sleepy Forest, but she was still a popular member of the unicorn community. Belle had been called upon many times over the years to help turn sleepless nights into easy breezy bedtimes. Nobody quite knew how she did it, but Belle had a natural ability in guiding others to sleep. So Fenella's parents summoned Belle to their home in Sleepy Forest in the hopes that she could help calm their daughter's mind and get her sleeping easily again. That night, Fenella's bedtime approached and she wasn't particularly looking forward to it. She had finished three books in the past week whilst trying to fall asleep and she was now about to start her fourth. Fenella enjoyed reading, but at the moment she would much rather fall asleep on a night rather than spend hours reading. She sat at the edge of her bed and sighed. Here we go again. She muttered. To Fenella's surprise, her comment was met by a voice she didn't recognise saying, don't worry Fenella, tonight will be different to the other nights you've had recently. Fenella turned around to see a tall unicorn with pink hair all over her body, a golden horn and a thick rainbow coloured mane. Standing nearby, Fenella thought they were perhaps the most colourful unicorn she had ever seen. Who are you? Fenella asked. The magical unicorn introduced herself. I am Belle. Your parents asked me to come visit you. I hear you've been having some trouble sleeping recently. Fenella sighed again and said, hello, yes, you're right. I just can't switch my brain off and relax at the moment. I lie here for hours hoping to fall asleep. Belle gave her a sympathetic smile and replied, don't worry. I'm going to do my best to help you focus your mind and finally get the rest you deserve. Sleep is my speciality. Unicorns are renowned for their magical healing abilities, but Belle's healing powers were slightly different to others. While most unicorns could heal wounds and relieve sickness, Belle's powers extended specifically to helping others sleep problems. She had a unique magical way of of bringing calm and good sleep to everyone she spent time with. Belle intended to use her magical abilities to assist Fenella this evening. Belle trotted over to Fenella and spied the book next to her on the bed. You won't need this tonight. Belle said, referring to the book. That exciting adventure book is likely keeping you awake even longer than you need to be. Fenella gasped. She had never considered that reading usually made her feel sleepy, but perhaps her book choices lately had been too energetic for a calm bedtime. Fenella put the book away, trusting in Belle's knowledge. Why do you think you struggle to sleep at the moment, Fenella? Belle wondered. Fenella shrugged and explained that she never used to have a problem sleeping, but recently she found herself thinking about so much at bedtime that she couldn't wind down. Belle nodded her head with understanding. Then she made a suggestion. Belle presented a fluffy journal and a sparkly pen to Fenella. Belle said, fenella, I want you to write in this journal before bed anything and everything that's running through your mind. By getting it all out of your head onto paper, your mind can relax knowing that you won't forget anything important. It will be right here waiting for you in the morning. However, right now, you don't need it. Fenella took the journal and pen and began to write. She scribbled down her thoughts for several minutes while Belle waited patiently. Then, when she was done, Fenella set the journal down and exhaled. Oh, I already feel a bit better. Fenella confessed. Belle smiled happily and said, that's great. Now that your mind is a little clearer, let's start to relax. Fenella snuggled herself into bed like she always did. She turned on her night light and plumped up her pillow. Then she snuggled under the covers and pulled them up to her chin. Belle pulled up a stool nearby and and perched on it to rest. Are you comfortable Fenella? Belle checked. Fenella smiled and nodded, wriggling her body slowly just to be sure. Good. Belle said in a breathy voice. Now Fenella, I want you to close your eyes for me and take a nice deep breath. Fenella did as she was asked and breathed in deeply. As she sighed out, she felt her body relax a little bit deeper into the mattress and pillow beneath her. Lovely. Belle continued. Now I want you to picture a house. The house is square and has pink walls and a yellow front door. There are four square windows with the curtain shut. Suddenly Fenella blurted out enthusiastically, and the curtains are blue. Belle chuckled softly and hushed, yes, and the curtains can be blue. Try to relax and let me describe it to you. Fenella took a breath and sighed out, relaxing back into her comfy pillow. Belle's soothing voice continued to guide her. There are many beautiful multicolored flowers in the garden and a winding path leads up to the front door. Breathe in and smell the flowers. Don't they smell delightful? Fenella nodded her head slowly and silently count the number of windows. 1, 2, 3, 4. Now I want you to focus on the four external walls of the house. Use your eyes to trace along the edge of the walls as slowly as you can. Look at the bottom corner of the pink wall to your left. Inhale with me as you slowly trace up the side of the pink wall. Inhale. 1, 2, 3, 4 5. Now let's move along the line of the top wall to the other side as we breathe out. 1, 2, 34 5. Good. Let's trace along the right wall down to the ground. Breathe in. 1-2-345 and trace along the bottom edge of the house between back to where we began as you breathe out 234 5. With Fenella's mind's eye, she followed Belle's instructions and breathed in and out slowly tracing the walls of the imaginary pink house. When she was back at the start, Belle instructed her to do it again. Up, across, down across. Tracing the lines of a square over and over. Fenella breathed in counting to five, then breathed out for a count of five. In for and out for five. She repeatedly worked her way around the edges of the pretty make believe house. 1, 2, 345. Out. 2, 3, 45. In, 2, 345. Out 2, 345. Fenella chanted in her head. She felt her belly rise and fall like a balloon inflating and deflating over and over again. With time, Fenella noticed that the rest of her body was becoming even more relaxed and other thoughts that had been swimming around her brain before had been cast out. Her mind only focused on the pretty pink house and her breathing. After a while of focusing on simply breathing, Belle asked Fenella quietly, how do you feel? Fenella muffled a response from her cosy bed. She felt so relaxed she didn't want to move. She wanted to remain in this moment. Belle smiled to herself. This is exactly how she wanted Fenella to feel before bed. It was important for Fenella to clear her mind and relax. Fenella, have I told you where I come from? Belle whispered soothingly. I don't live in Sleepy Forest. I come from a magical land very far from here. To get there you have to go on quite a journey. At the top of a tall mountain reaching up to the clouds is a rainbow. Only by traveling down the side of that rainbow can you reach my home. A smile crept across Fenella's face. This magical faraway land sounded amazing. Can I go there with you? Fenella begged, picturing sparkling lakes and multi coloured palaces in her mind. Belle smiled and replied, maybe one day you can, but it's much too far for us to travel this evening. However, if you like, I can describe the journey there to you. Fenella smiled sleepily and gave a lethargic nod. Belle buckled her unicorn knees and knelt next to Fenella. Her rainbow coloured hair swayed and swept across her shoulder, sparkling with the light of a thousand tiny stars. Belle smiled kindly and began. At the top of a mountain teeming with tall trees and animal life is a rainbow that beams with glorious bright colours and shimmers with mag colours of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet paint the sky sweeping up into the clouds where the mountain peak touches the sky. It is a very long climb up to the top of the mountain, past chattering parrots, fluttering butterflies and cheeky monkeys. But the view from the top is worth the climb. From the top you can see down the rainbow to the other side as it sweeps into the mystical valley. Fenella questioned curiously, is the rainbow a slide? Do you slide down it to reach your kingdom? Bel answered, it is similar to a slide, but the best way to travel down the rainbow is by cloud. Gliding down the colours of the rainbow on a gentle cloud is the way to find my home. Fenella thought that sounded wonderful. Travelling by cloud must be the smoothest, most Relaxing way to get around. Belle started to describe what it was like to her. Belle told Fenella to stay lying in her bed and keep her eyes closed. Envisioning the magnificent mountain from down on the ground, Belle guided Fenella to take a deep breath and conjure a soft, fluffy cloud to meet her at the bottom. Fenella stepped her four hooves aboard the wispy cloud and lay down upon its comfortable base. Then Fenella took a deep breath in and the cloud rose up off the forest floor. As she slowly breathed out, the cloud rose higher and higher up into the sky. She towered over the treetops and made her way up the side of the mountain, getting closer to the top with every inhale and exhale. Fenella eventually arrived at the top of the mountain and as Belle described, she gazed down at a splendid rainbow, boasting the brightest colours she had seen. Now let's glide down the rainbow on that cloud, Belle offered. The journey began at the first colour, a radiant red. As Fenella drifted along the band of rouge, she felt a relaxing warmth wash over her. She sighed and felt her body melt deeper into the cloud. Beneath her body, every part of her rested and became weightless. As the cloud held her safely. Belle asked Fenella softly, what can you think of that glows like this? Bold primary colour, Fenella thought. Her body swayed slowly from side to side as the cloud cascaded along the red streak of the rainbow. Poppy flowers she immediately envisioned, and parrot wings. Her mind drifted and in between breaths she thought of more dazzling rubies and thorny rose bushes. A cosy sunset, squidgy strawberries and plump tomatoes that grew in her family's garden. Clacking crabs and fuzzy red pandas, ladybugs and Santa's suit. Once she'd started, it felt like her brain couldn't stop thinking of things that were red. Everything the colour red touched was bold and breathtaking, but warm and reassuring. Fenella felt quite safe in the presence of the first colour of the rainbow. Fenella kept thinking of red objects until her mind ran out of ideas and fell silent. She continued to float along on the cloud, admiring the dazzling colour in silence. Her mind was finally empty and her body still. The cloud drifted along and the rainbow eventually transformed, lightening up with a burst of colour. Orange. In an instant, Fenella felt her mind lighten a little. Orange was a happy colour. It exuded joy and happiness. Fenella immediately felt the corners of her mouth lift into a smile. Belle's hushed voice whispered to her, what can you think of now? That is the colour orange. Fenella's first thought was tangy fresh orange juice after a busy day at school, she audibly sighed at the comforting reflection and the cloud glided a little slower, cradling her in its embrace. Her mind moved to other objects of warming orange tiger fur between the striking black stripes. Monarch butterflies and snuggly foxes that lounged around the flower beds in the sleepy forest clearings. Flickering flames on the nightly campfire. Goldfish swirling and swimming around ponds. And bigger clownfish winding through the coral reefs of the oceans. Autumn leaves and pumpkins, Earthy carrots and spicy butternut squash which made the most delicious winter soups. Fenella quickly realised that orange was a cosy colour. It was comforting, just like her cushy unicorn bed. The cloud drifted further down the rainbow and Fenella felt her heart warm and lift as she approached the next colour. Yellow, the colour of sunshine. Without Belle prompting her, Fenella automatically began to conjure things in her mind that were the colour yellow. The warm sun on a midsummer's day. Daffodils and buttercups and sunflowers that decorated the fields where Fenella loved to frolic. Tropical fruits like pineapple and bananas, zesty lemons, buzzy bees and adorable ducklings. Everything she could imagine that was yellow was soft and happy. Fenella's mind and heart felt joyful as she passed by and onto the next colour green. The earthy colour enveloped her, tinting the cloud upon which she sat with a soft hue. Green. What was green? The many magnificent leaves that dressed the lush trees that canopied sleepy forest. The grass that dusted the forest floors and filled the fields where Fenella would play with her friends. Leaping frogs and skittering lizards. Funny slime and goo that stuck to her hooves. Four leafed clovers and hungry caterpillars. Green was a colour of silliness and imperfection. It was fitting, then, that it was also the colour of nature. Exhaling contentedly, Fenella felt soothed and at home as she glided from the band of green and onto the next shade of the rainbow. Blue. The colour blue made her feel more relaxed than she had felt the entire rainbow journey so far. A feeling of calm washed over her like a wave on the shore. The air somehow seemed fresher. Every breath she took felt clearer and deeper, Fenella thought. A trickling stream that bursts into the vast deep ocean. The dusky blue skies of a bright day. Sparkling sapphires and giant blue whales. The earth itself. The colour blue was dreamy. Fenella imagined she was sailing into outer space, gazing at the big blue planet from far Away. She bobbed there in outer space for a few moments, enjoying the silence and admiring the extraordinary world as it ever so slowly rotated on its axis. In space where there was no gravity, Fenella had no control over her body. She floated without control. She relaxed into the feeling, took a deep breath and exhaled. With her eyes closed, she meandered back to the rainbow on her cloud, feeling as light as a feather. Somewhere within the blend between blue and purple, Fenella floated past the mysterious colour indigo. She had never given much thought to what the colour indigo had painted in the world, but now that she focused on it, she realised that the beautiful deep colour belonged to a host of joyous things. Fenella's mouth watered as she was reminded of the indigo coloured skin of delicious blueberries. Her mind also danced with the image of juicy plums she loved to munch and sweet jammy figs. Some of the most delicious things she had tasted were the colour indigo. Perhaps it should be her new favourite colour, she pondered as she passed by. She realised that if she scattered a few shining diamonds amongst this streak of the rainbow, she could easily envisage passing through the night sky. Indigo was certainly the colour of contentment. Finally, the deep hues of indigo lifted to a gentle shade of violet. The end of the rainbow was in sight. But Fenella didn't feel ready to leave. She was enjoying her journey so much. Violet. What was violet? Amethyst gemstones that glittered in the Dragon Caves. The most picturesque flowers like orchids and lilacs and lavender. The purple honeycreeper bird that flitted around sleepy forest calling to its friends with sweet trills. Everything that the colour violet touched emitted a sense of beauty, simplicity and tranquility. Fenella inhaled and could smell the array of purple flowers in the air. She hadn't realised until now that the rainbow held the essence of what it painted with each of its colours. Here in the realm of violet, Fenella was overwhelmed by its serene aura. Her cloud began its descent towards the bottom of the rainbow. Fenella didn't want to leave. She longed to stay, flying across this rainbow, enjoying its unparalleled beauty and the way it made her feel safe, content and calm. Fortunately, Fenella never reached the ground. As she drifted closer to the bottom, she let go of all control and allowed the cloud to carry her as she slipped into a sweet, deep sleep. Time passed and Fenella's stomach rose and fell with every deep, sleepy breath. Fenella. Belle whispered, but there was no response. Fenella was fast asleep. Belle smiled to herself. Had another job well done. Fenella had found a way to channel her thoughts and rest her body in the process. Fenella's parents peered their heads into the room and whispered is she asleep? Belle nodded and pressed a hoof to her lips to signal them to stay quiet. Fenella's parents were so thankful for Belle's help they had thought it might be impossible to soothe their daughter but here she was finally sleeping deeply for the first time in a long while. How can we ever repay you for your help? Fenella's mother asked gratefully. Belle shook her head and answered there is no need for repayment. This is what I do and I love doing it. Belle and Fenella's parents crept down the hallway leaving the young unicorn to sleep in peace. As Belle took one last look back at another happy customer she smiled imagining Fenella enjoying happy dreams about her magical land at the bottom of the rainbow. Then with a swish of her shimmering rainbow coloured hair she.